


The Sun Rises

by Zexeos



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Romance, Superheroes, Tadashi Hamada Lives, lots of shit to deal with
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:20:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21619018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zexeos/pseuds/Zexeos
Summary: Tadashi Hamada and Kate Ward used to be the best of friends in high school - until they broke apart due to Tadashi's new girlfriend. Three years later, Kate seeks to rebuild her relationship with Tadashi, and maybe rekindle an old flame between the two. Meanwhile, a dark project moves in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike and find a test subject for their new Starling program - and Tadashi is the perfect fit. Will Kate and Tadashi's relationship survive? Or will their passions and pasts consume them like flames?
Relationships: Tadashi Hamada/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	The Sun Rises

“And that makes 13,” Tadashi said smugly as he sank further into his beanbag chair. 

“Come on, I’m getting so close to beating you!” Kate protested, sitting on Tadashi’s bed, which was next to where her friend had firmly planted himself. The young man was of japanese descent, with dark hair and pale skin. He was young and lanky, his face occasionally peppered with a red spot from the gift of puberty. 

“So close, yet so far!” Tadashi teased, causing Kate to give him a quick glare. She gripped the video game controller in her hands a little tighter. 

“I’m gonna beat you soon, I can feel it!” she said, adjusting herself on the plush twin bed. The teal sheets rumpled a bit underneath her. She was the same age as Tadashi, with tan skin and her dark hair in a ponytail. 

Tadashi looked up at her with his almond-colored eyes and grinned up at her. “You really think you can beat the master of Battle Bots? Not even Hiro can beat me!”

“Hiro’s 11,” she told her friend, which caused him to blink.

“Fair!” he quickly declared. “But still, he’s better at video games than either of us, and he still can’t beat me at this game! Just admit it, this is my game, and I’m the king of it!”

“Oh please, do you want me to bow, your highness?” Kate shot back with a roll of her eyes, but the smile never left either of their faces. “Is this payback for getting a better score on the Econ test than you?”

Tadashi started a bit, looking playfully hurt at her words. “You would find me so petty? I’m wounded!” Dramatically pretending to faint, he flopped back onto the grey bean bag that he was sitting in. 

“You’re just jealous because I didn’t study, and you did.” Kate stuck her tongue out at Tadashi, making him sit back up and stick his tongue out back at her. 

“Well sorry, we can’t  _ all _ be slackers like you, Katie!” Tadashi grinned up at his friend - he knew she wasn’t a slacker, but he enjoyed teasing her nonetheless. 

“Is it really slacking if I get to play video games all day and  _ still  _ pass the test?” 

Tadashi crossed his arms, controller still in hand. “At least I know that I was guaranteed to get a good score - you just gambled with your whole grade!” 

Kate threw herself back onto his pillows, resting her hands behind her head. “And the rush felt great! I should gamble on tests more often,”’ she decided.

“Then I guess I’ll see you while you’re in rehab for that gambling addiction,” he chuckled. Kate passed him a quick middle finger before there was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. They both looked at the entrance of the room expectedly, waiting to see who would come up.

A young boy with wild black hair, who was similarly lanky and skinny like Tadashi was, entered the loft that made up Tadashi’s room, which was shared with Hiro - his younger brother. Kate and Tadashi gave him a small wave as the “Game Over” music droned on from the TV on Tadashi’s side of the room.

“Hey guys,” Hiro squeaked out, a little unsure of his words. “Aunt Cass says dinner’s almost ready. She said Kate can stay if she wants,” he looked to her as he spoke, his eyes wide.

Tadashi looked to kate. “Are you staying?” he asked her with a smile. Kate shook her head. 

“Can’t do it, I’m afraid. It’s spaghetti night at my place, Dad would kill me if I missed it,” she said, causing Tadashi to frown. “So I better get going. You taking me home, Tada?” she asked her friend, who nodded. 

“Yeah, let’s go get the bikes.” Tadashi looked to Hiro, asking him “Can you tell Aunt Cass that I’m going to take Kate home, then I’ll be back for dinner?” 

Hiro nodded, giving a small “Yeah,” before heading back downstairs, his small, bare feet slapping against the wooden steps. 

Tadashi sat up with a groan, and Kate climbed off of his bed. The pair looked at each other for a second before Kate sighed. “Sorry I can’t stay, you know I love Aunt Cass’ cooking,” she said a little sheepishly. “But… you know how Dad is.”

“Yeah…” Tadashi said, clenching his hands into fists at the thought of her father. “I swear, if he ever hurts you-”

“Tada, not here. I don’t want to bother Cass or Hiro,” Kate interrupted. Tadashi nodded and sighed.

“Fine… Just know that I’m here for you, yeah?” He looked to Kate and held out his hand for their secret handshake. Kate proceeded to do the motions with him, slapping hands then bumping fists over each other. 

“Same, man. Thanks for looking out for me,” she told him with a soft smile and slightly wet eyes.

“Always, Katie. Always.”

* * *

Soft, white petals fell like a springtime snow in the downtown gardens of San Fransokyo. The winds brushed against Kate’s face lightly, although it did nothing to warm her. The sunlight was fading - there would be a rain soon. She cursed her luck, she came all this way to do laundry, but if she was caught in the rain with clean clothes, it would have been for nothing.

_ Tadashi used to meet me here,  _ she thought as she looked up at the tall tree that marked the center of the small park and garden that sat firmly downtown. It was a place of serenity and beauty amidst the chaos the city normally had. On the fringes of her mind, she could hear shopkeepers and vendors calling out to people, trying to get them to buy clothes, jewelry, or food. The smells of the city rose up, but they seemed to be distant, as if they couldn’t break the forcefield of pleasantness caused by the flowergarden that she was surrounded by. 

_ That was so long ago…. I haven’t talked to Tada in three years…  _ She gave a soft sigh and looked down at her feet, which were adorned in bright red sneakers. Time had changed Kate - she’d finally filled out, no longer being a lanky, skinny teenager, and she wore her once-long hair in a lopsided bob cut. 

_ Better get going - the laundry isn’t going to do itself,  _ she thought as she made her way out of the garden with a sigh. She didn’t want to leave, some strange hope filled her heart when she was in that place. Like Tadashi would step up behind her and try to scare her, like he used to when they were kids. 

_ I was so fucking stupid,  _ she cursed herself mentally.  _ I can’t believe I abandoned my best friend over something so… absolutely meaningless.  _ Pain ripped at her heart as she walked down the busy sidewalks of downtown San Fransokyo, and tears pricked her eyes.

_ I miss you, Tada,  _ she mentally called out, hoping in some strange way, his heart would hear her cry. But she knew it never would. 

* * *

San Fransokyo High School East was large, and full of children at all times as it struggled to contain a quarter of the humongous population of one of the largest cities in the United States. Bright hearts and eyes filled the hallways as students crowded the tight hallways of the second floor of the building, many of whom were preparing for lunch. 

Kate Ward stood in front of her locker, dialing in the combination for the lock quickly before opening up the silver door with a creak. She pulled her blue bag off of her shoulders and stuffed it into the locker with a grunt, the huge bag barely fitting in the tight space. She closed the door quickly and wheeled around, before bolting in the opposite direction and cutting through the sea of teenagers at a quick pace. 

The cafeteria was bustling, as always, and Kate’s eyes scanned the mass of people quickly, looking for a familiar face. She scanned and scanned. He wasn’t at their usual table, nor was he at the front of the cafeteria, getting food. She groaned and continued to look, making her way over to the table she always sat at. 

_ Tadashi must be running late…. That’s unlike him,  _ she noted before pulling her phone out of her pocket. She unlocked it and checked her messages quickly, scanning to see if Tadashi had texted her. Nothing. She sighed and rested her head on her hand.  _ Maybe he’ll show up in a bit. _

Time passed, and Tadashi had yet to make an appearance. Kate didn’t feel like eating as she opened her phone again, and quickly typed out a message to her best friend.

“ _ Hey, where are you?”  _ the message read. She hit “send” and sighed, waiting for a response. After about 5 minutes, her phone buzzed and the answer was upon her.

“ _ Sorry, something came up,”  _ the response said. “ _ Hanging with Sarena because she needed me. Sorry again.” _

Kate had to struggle not to scream.  _ The fucking bitch!,  _ she mentally exclaimed.  _ He left me here for Sarena?! On pizza day? Who else am I going to hang out with?! _

“ _ Bro, what the fuck,”  _ she typed back. “ _ We had plans. You keep flaking on me for Sarena.” _

“ _ I know, and I’m sorry… Can I make it up to you?”  _ The response was short and made Kate pause.

“ _ You could get down here and spend some time with me - feels like we haven’t seen each other in ages. We haven’t hung out like this since the semester started,”  _ she explained.

“ _ I can’t help it that we don’t have classes together anymore,”  _ Tadashi texted back. “ _ Look, I’m really sorry, but Sarena needed me today. I hope you can understand and forgive me.” _

Kate grumbled and let out a frustrated sigh. “ _ I need you sometimes too, man,”  _ she typed to him before hitting send and locking her phone. Her brows were furrowed, her cheeks were red, and her eyes burned with the threat of tears. 

Tadashi used to be so close to her - until Sarena entered the picture. She was a mutual friend to both of them, but took to Tadashi almost instantly, and ignored Kate when they were all together. Recently, Tadashi and Sarena had started dating, and it felt like Kate was totally out of the picture after that. Tadashi never had time for her unless she went to his garage and physically pulled him out of it and made him spend time with her.

Logically, she understood that he was  _ so in love  _ with Sarena, and that they were in the honeymoon phase, but… It still hurt Kate. Sarena didn’t treat Tadashi right. Every meeting had to be on her terms - when  _ she  _ had time for  _ him.  _ Kate only got the leftovers of Tadashi’s time, and she resented both him and Sarena for it.

She got up from her seat and headed to the bathroom. She needed some alone time, and while the bathrooms were usually packed during lunchtime, she could at least cry in peace, without people looking at her.

Once in the stall, she sighed and felt the sting of tears again. Tadashi had been her best friend since they started High School, 2 years ago. Was it all coming to an end? Did Tadashi not have time for her anymore? She buried her face in her hands and let the silent tears fall, small raindrops from the storm in her heart. 

He’d been flaking out on her so much, and generally was being a bad friend to her. She wanted to confront him, but how do you tell someone you love so deeply that they’ve hurt you? Her heart burned with anger - she wanted to punish Tadashi, to make him hurt as much as she had been.

She was done with Tadashi. No amount of love for him could have saved their relationship at this point. They fought a lot - mostly over Sarena - and spending time with him was awkward to Kate. 

_ Is it time to move on?,  _ she wondered as she felt out her emotions. Dealing with the stress and pain Tadashi was bringing her was killing her on the inside. She didn’t want to move on. Sometimes, love hurt in the most delightful, addictive ways. To be a tragedy was attractive in its own right - maybe one day he would realize that his best friend was everything he ever wanted. 

But in her heart, Kate knew that day would never come. Tadashi would never wake up and see how beautiful she was, to see how great they would be together. Creating together, challenging each other, being devoted to each other… It would have been too good to be true. 

That was the moment Kate felt her heart turn to ice.

* * *

  
  


Buildings passed her, and the smell of various fried foods filled her nose. Pork, beef, and steamed bao buns all tempted her, but she didn’t buy any of them. She was too lost in thought to consider eating.

_ Tadashi.  _ She wondered what he looked like now - was he as still handsome as he was 3 years ago? She bet he was even better looking, which made her heart ache a bit. Her thoughts drifted to Sarena - was she still in town, with Tadashi at her side? Bile filled her throat.  _ I hope you’re happy together, _ she sighed in her head. And she meant those words - there was no bitterness behind them. If Tadashi was happy, then… that’s what mattered to Kate.

_ Am I… still in love with Tadashi?  _ The thought struck her out of nowhere and nearly made her trip on the street.  _ Of course not, I haven’t talked to him in years,  _ she decided.  _ How can I be in love with a guy I don’t know anymore? _

Finally, the downtown laundromat came into view - the Laundry Village. She gave a sigh of relief and made her way towards the building, far too aware of how heavy the large bag on her back was. The mid-day spring sun had nipped at her skin a little bit on the walk, she noticed, as she looked down at her slightly-pink arms.  _ Great, _ she mentally sighed.

The laundromat was relatively quiet, with a few TVs droning on over the rhythmic noises of the washing machines and dryers. There were a total of 6 people already in the large building, meaning there was plenty of room for her to sit and wait. 

Putting her laundry and quarters into the machine was a simple process, but it didn’t do much to take her mind off of days long past. Thoughts of Tadashi haunted her at every turn.  _ Is this the sober version of wanting to drunk-text your ex?,  _ she thought as she sat down at one of the many tables with a now mostly-empty backpack. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and browsed the internet idly, passing the time as best as she could. 

Her eyes grew heavy as she waited, her mind growing fuzzy and blanking out on the articles she was reading. She needed to be studying for her entry exams into the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology - her college of choice, now that she was ready and had saved up enough money to live on while she went to school. (Grants and federal aid helped quite a bit in that department.) Nervousness clawed at her belly, waking her up again. She was headed into the Artificial Intelligence program, and she was excited, yes, but also extremely nervous. What if she wasn’t smart enough to get into the college of her dreams, after she worked so hard to get to where she could apply?

_ Tadashi could have helped me study - he was always great with that stuff.  _

Sighing and hunching over, she realized she had a choice to make.

_ I need to let go,  _ she told herself.  _ Tadashi’s only sin was being a kid who thought he was in love. _

The ice on her heart started to crack.

_ I miss him so much. I want to talk to him again.  _ Her heart panged with loneliness. She needed to bring Tadashi back into her life, or at least try to.  _ I need to apologize to him. For hurting him. For leaving him… _

With tears in her eyes, she pulled up his social media page online. The blue “call” button had her hesitate.  _ Am I making the right choice here? What if he hates me? Not that I could blame him… But I need to know. _

Steeling herself, she hit the button, and her phone began to dial the number to Tadashi’s phone. After all this time, it hadn’t changed. 

The ringing felt like it took an eternity, each drone echoing in Kate’s mind like a siren. In that moment, she wanted to die. How could she face the sins of her past like this? But it was too late, she couldn’t-

“Hello?” That deep voice nearly made Kate choke. It stole her breath away, and her eyes went wide as she sat at the lonely table in the laundromat. 

“H-hey, is this Tadashi Hamada?” Kate asked, fumbling over her words like an idiot. She mentally hit herself for being so uncoordinated with her words.

“Yeah, can I ask who’s calling?” he said in a friendly, calm tone. It brought back so many feelings, Kate couldn’t put a finger to them all.

“This… is Kate. Kate Ward,” she said before silence filled the air for a moment.

“Kate!” Tadashi exclaimed excitedly, making her give a silent sigh of relief. “How have you been? Do you need something?” he asked her.

“I-I was wondering if you maybe wanted to get coffee sometime? And catch up? I know it’s been a while, but I think… there’s some things we need to talk about,” she said. 

Tadashi was silent for another moment. “Ah, yeah! My aunt still runs the Lucky Cat. Can you meet me there? When did you have in mind?”

“I can - how about tonight?” she asked. “7 sound good?”

“Ah, yeah! I’ll see you then. You remember where the cafe is, right?” he asked.

“Of course, how could I forget?” she chuckled. There was a strange lightness in her being, as if all the pain of the past was melting away. If only for a moment, it felt like nothing had happened between them and they were old friends. 

“Alright, I’ll see you tonight at 7, then.” Kate could almost hear the smile behind Tadashi’s words - she could see it in her mind. “I’ve got to go though, I’m in the middle of my shift here,” he said a bit sheepishly. “I’ll talk to you later, alright? See you soon,” he told her.

“See you soon,” she told him before hanging up the phone. To end the conversation felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest, but it had to be done. And the pain was quickly replaced by excitement and anxiety.

What could she possibly say to make it up to him? What words could erase all the pain that had marred them both? Thee scars from yesterday couldn’t just fade from one conversation. 

The washing machine beeped, and Kate got up from her chair and made her way over to the machine. She didn’t know what she would say to Tadashi, but she knew that she only had about 5 hours to figure it out. The odds were against her, but that was nothing new. 

_ I’m sorry Tada,  _ she mentally called out to him across space and time.  _ I’m going to make it up to you though, I promise. I promise.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my new fic! If you liked it, feel free to comment and leave Kudos - I love hearing from you guys! It really keeps me going. This should update every Saturday, so be on the look out for new chapters in the future!


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